Vitreous Separation?

[Nancy]

I woke up Mother's Day with a bunch of black threads floating around in my vision of my left eye. Hoping these floaters would go away but the persisted all day and I could not read or use the computer much. Of course I was terrified I had a retina detachment or macular degeneration(which my dad has). I called my eye dr and she was able to get me an appointment at the retina specialists office.

Thankfully I do not have a retina detachment or macular degeneration but the vitreous which is the clear gel stuff in your eye detached from the retina. It happens when we get older and the vitreous shrinks. It can lead to retina detachment at some point so I know the signs to watch for. Also I was told the black lines may never go away. They are actually a shadow created by the vitreous debris that is floating around.

Has anyone else had this happen and what is your experience. Have the black threads or spots dispappeared?

Nancy

 

[Marguerite]

I had this happen suddenly last July. We were visiting easy child & SIL1 in Canberra, I had to go collect husband & difficult child 3 from the museum and as I drove out, I thought I saw lightning in the distance. I drove on a little further and realised that the lightning flashes were my vision, and then I saw the floaters - a red-brown mist inside one eye. I drove on and tested my vision as I went, trying to assess what it was. By the time I collected husband & difficult child 3 (I handed the wheel to husband) I knew I needed the hospital, possible detaching retina. But I also needed to not alarm mother in law who was also staying nearby and coming for dinner. So I sat through dinner and after mother in law left, husband & I headed off to the hospital and spent most of the night there.

End result for me - retina was not detaching, but there was a bleed behind the retina, a tiny tear, which was where the red-brown floaters had come from. Blood. Just a trace. The cause was vitreous separation.

Where it is now - the large red-brown floaters have shrunk but darkened. I have large, obvious floaters in the vision in that eye. No other lines or other issues though. I've had no treatment, just observation and supervision.

I have to get glaucoma checked as well as visual fields, every 12 months now. Visual fields are fine so far (therefore no macular degeneration, or peripheral vision loss). The floaters etc are annoying - I keep cleaning my glasses in case it's dirt on the lenses. I probably do have lines in there too, but there's so much "space junk" it's hard to tell.

The probable cause is extreme myopia, I was told. Being so very short-sighted has led to the problem being more acute. The eye is longer and sort of stretched, this puts more pressure on the vitreous humour to pull away at the back of the retina.

I hope this helps.

Marg

 

[Jena]

nancy what can they do to correct it?? so scary....

i have closed eye thing not yet glacuoma, yet it has to be watched to make sure the thing doesnt' close or i'll loose vision.

sorry, hope you get help for it soon.

 

[Hound dog]

Both my daughters have had floaters since they were little girls, which is unusual. The doctor watches over it, but otherwise not anything he can do. They're used to it so it's more an annoyance than anything.

They are checked for glaucoma yearly. My mom has narrow angle glaucoma and macular degeneration......endless surgeries to relieve pressure ect.

I'm currently having vision issues that are more than annoying, at least to me. I spend most of my time looking out the reading part of the bifocals, not that it helps much, yet eye doctor says there is no change. Yeah, ok bud....you try seeing through my eyes. At the spa I had to have my glasses off. Startled and upset me to discover that my vision is now so bad I can't make out facial features of someone standing next to me without my glasses. I'm getting a new eye doctor.

 

[Star*]

I have had horrible floaters since I was a child. I had a very good (when I had insurance) opthamologist who had me doing exercises for my eyes. They hurt a little, but it's like push ups for your eyes. Everyone laughed - but they did help and a lot of docotrs said it wouldn't work. Well - I'm happy to report that I have minimal floaters now and when they do happen to float in my line of sight? I do the exercises and they don't hang around too long.

Exercises consist of taking your index finger - and making your eye with the floaters follow the finger to the farthest corner out of your line of vision and up, to the ceiling and down. (repeat) You do this for approx. 10 minutes two to three times a day. I was supposed to also take a beta carrotene supplement, but never did. I just did the exercises until the floaters seemed to go away. Like I said a lot of the eye doctors said they will just go away when they go away - but I felt I strengthened the muscles in my eyes and I have very poor vision. I'm -4.5- and -5.00 today so it didn't improve my vision - I mean your eyeball is going to flatten out no matter with age.

 

[Nancy]

Thanks Marg, it's helpful but not very encouraging. I'm sorry you have this condition too.

Nancy

 

[graceupongrace]

Nancy, I developed the threadlike floaters in one eye almost a year ago. They scared me at first, but the ophthalmologist wasn't too concerned -- said it's part of the aging process, and I didn't have a retinal tear or detachment. So they went from scary to annoying, but honestly, I hardly notice them now.

 

[susiestar]

Wow. I had no idea that some of you had this also. my mom has had problems with the separation as well as some other, far more serious retinal problems. Glaucoma runs in the family on her side very very much. I remember my first floater, or at least the day I realized it was not normal to have black dots that move as you move your eyes. I was four and was outlining the priest at Mass because I was exceedingly bored. We had missed the earlier Mass and ended up at the interminable Latin one held monthly at our church. My mom smacked me lightly on the hand to get my attention because I was moving my head oddly and attracting attention. We talked after mass and I ahd an eye exam about two weeks later. my first.

Now I have a bunch, dots and squiggles. This is why I learned to run a bare hand over the counter or dish I was washing - otherwise I could scrub forever trying to get "crud" off that was only in my eye.

Be sure you go see the eye doctor with the MD, and a GOOD one. Not just the optometrist regardless of if the optometrist can do surgery in your state or not. I don't know if it has changed here, but I know a few years ago there were optometrists doing laser eye surgery on people and other types of eye surgery - without having been to medical school. I don't know why it was/is allowed but it seems crazy to me. Esp with the fam history of eye problems and having an uncle who had a doctor do the wrong surgery on his good eye - NOT his doctor. His doctor cancelled the surgery or thought he had. doctor's son, a real jerk and idiot and dangerous fool, mixed up my uncle and another guy (great uncle of a friend of mine) and did their surgeries on the other one. My friend's uncle died because he had a severe infection that the surgery was to remove. My uncle just was blind in one eye. STurned out the father had no clue it had happened but it bankrupted his practice. The son wasn't even licensed in the state and the lawsuits were HUGE. It has made me pay real attention to who I let examine our eyes, Know what I mean??

Anyway, I hope the problem goes away soon. I would ask for a second opinion just to be very sure - and a thrid if the two docs do not agree.

 

[Nancy]

I saw a retina specialist, MD who graduated from harvard and does extensive research and teaching at the medical school in our area and holds symposiums on the eye. Their entire practice is made up of eight MD's all dealing with retina problems. So I trust him well. He gave me the things to watch for that would indicate a retina tear or detachment. Sd this was a normal process of aging, the vitreous is getting old and shrinking, but of course I am very upset that I can no longer read without having to move my head back and forth to push the threads out of the way.

Nancy